Travel agents in Poland are offering bargain prices for package holidays in Tunisia, following the overthrow of President Ben Ali.

If you book before the end of March then you could pick up an all-inclusive stay at a four star hotel for as little as 800 zloty (200 euros) - or half the normal price for this time of year, reports the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily.

Travel agents are also throwing in special trips and other extras for free, such as massages in salons and various one-day trips, so keen are they to fill rooms in hotels.

The Tunisian tourist industry is looking to lure back the Polish tourist, 200,000 of whom usually take their holiday in the North African country annually.

Travel agents are also readjusting prices for Egypt, which is gradually stabilising since the announcement on Friday that President Hosni Mubarak was standing down as head of state.

Travek agents are recommending, however, that additional cancellation insurance should be taken out by those thinking of taking a package holiday in the region as the situation could change at any minute.

Meanwhile, just as tourist agencies are trying to get tourists back into Tunisia, 3,000 Tunisians arrived in Italy over the weekend. The Italian government is asking the EU for help in blocking any more from coming.

“I will ask Tunisia's foreign minister for authorisation for our forces to intervene in Tunisia to block the influx," said Italian interior minister Roberto Maroni on Sunday.

Hundreds of Tunisians are currently having to sleep under open skies near the port in Rome, wrapped in space blankets. Local hotels and churches have also offered accommodation, reports EU Observer. (pg)